


Just the Start

by Error__404



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 15:34:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21412510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Error__404/pseuds/Error__404
Summary: Before being called up to play for USA, Emily goes to a game with a friend and gets to meet her soccer crush.
Relationships: Kelley O'Hara/Emily Sonnett
Comments: 16
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So after reading and commenting for a while I decided to make an account and write this. I don't realy like this a lot but that's just because I feel like the ending is really rushed and the title is trash. Alos this is just really short which is probably better becuse I'd make it even worse if I had tried to make it longer. On that note, I hope you enjoy!

Emily P.O.V.

“Oh my god! Can you believe we are actually here guys?” I can’t stop looking around the field in front of me in amazement. Right in front of me the teams are warming up and it doesn’t feel real to be here.

“Oh please Sonnett, any day now that is going to be you. You are the best of us.” I just awkwardly laugh but inside I’m shaking my head. My teammates are always telling me that I’m good enough to play for the national team but I just don’t see it. I’m not that good, I just enjoy it. But I’m not delusional enough to think that I’m good enough to play professionally. My skills are just good enough for college level play, but not much more.

“Ah I don’t know about that one. I mean that would definitely be a dream come true but I doubt it.” Now it's her turn to laugh.

“Sure Em, you’re probably just worried that you wouldn’t be able to think straight if you ever met Kelley O’Hara in person. Pun intended of course.”

“Oh leave me alone! You can’t blame me for hypothetically losing my mind if I ever met her! She’s so hot she’d make a blind person sweat.”

“And you didn’t even try to deny it! You definitely would be so lame if you actually met her. We have to stay after the game and try to get her autograph now.” As if I wasn’t going to make them stay afterwards anyway.

“I just know myself enough to be honest that I would freak if I met her. Of course we are staying, did you seriously think I wouldn’t? Would I have written her number on my stomach and accidentally stained my favorite sports bra with paint just to leave without putting any effort into meeting her? Do you even know me?” My friend turns to look at me, her hair whipping around, when she heard what I said.

“You did what now? You are crazy, I can’t even be surprised. Just don’t get us kicked out by trying to get her attention. Also why couldn’t you just wear her jersey? You already have a 4 on your cheek for Becky, did you really need to show off your body that much?” I just grin at her and take off my tank top to show off the lovely number 5 proudly and boldly written in bright red on my stomach. 

“You gotta risk it for the biscuit baby! I wanted to support both Becky and Kelley and if I had Beckys number on my face but Kelley’s jersey that would just be so confusing and someone might accuse me of being a fake fan.” She just shakes her head at me, used to my antics by now, before turning away from me because the game is about to start.

Right from the start the game is incredible. The energy that they all play with is electric, and they way they know exactly where the others are going to be is unbelievable. I keep my eyes on Kelley for almost the entire game. Everytime she makes a good pass, or save, or tackle, or so much as looks at the ball I’m cheering, whipping my tank top around like its a rally towel. By the time halftime comes around I’ve lost my voice from cheering so much. That doesn’t stop me from doing the same thing as the second half starts. By the time the game ended I’m convinced my voice won’t come back for a week.

“Alright the game is over, let’s go try and get your girls attention!” She grabs my hand and runs over to where all the players are signing things for fans. I follow behind her closely, anxious to see if I will actually get to meet Kelley.

“Don’t say that, you make me sound like some completely obsessed loser. I have some dignity!” 

“Oh I’m sure you like to think that.” We are still laughing when we reach our destination. Holy shit I’m so close to the team, I’m already starting to freak out.

“Hey Kelley, I think you have a fan over here!” Oh my god! Christen Press just looked at me and then talked about me. I must be dreaming. I don’t ever want to wake up. Kelley O’Hara is walking over to me, a huge smile on her face, still red from playing a full 90 minutes.

“Hi there, you have anything you want me to sign? Want a picture? Or do you want me to try and find Becky for you? Although since her number is just on you cheek and I’m fully on your torso I’d guess I’m the priority.” I freeze. Like full on record scratch freeze frame frozen. I just look at her, not fully understanding that this is actually happening. My friend shoves me in the shoulder and that helps me come back to the real world, almost. I have to clear my throat for what feels like an hour to try and speak loud enough for her to hear me. She gives me a confused look and I am finally able to speak.

“Uhh yeah! I’d love a picture! Can you sign my phone case?” I pass her my phone and mentally facepalm. Why in the world did I just ask her to sign my phone case? With my phone in her hand she turns around to take a selfie of us. After the picture she grabs the cap off her sharpie and scribbles on the back of my case while laughing to herself. My friend is behind me laughing too hard to breathe at my stupidity.

“Here you go! Make sure you send me that picture!” She winks at me then walks off. What does she mean by that?

“Holy shit dude! Sonnett, how did you do that? You literally didn’t say one coherent thing and she gave you her number! What even is your life?” Wait what? I grab my phone back from her and look at the back. Sure enough, under her signature is presumably her phone number. 

“Well damn, I guess the extra core workouts I’ve been doing are really working! Not even a layer of paint over them can hide their greatness.” I grin at her as she leans over to smack said abs.

“Oh shut up. How can you go from being so awkward and silent to so cocky in like two seconds?” I laugh and tell her it's a gift as we walk back to my car. I’m not entirely sure of what just happened but I know it was something that could be really cool. It is just the start.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well after everyone was so nice to me, even if I am a Steelers fan, I decided that I will continue this. I hope you enjoy it.

Kelley P.O.V.

I’ve never given a random fan my phone number before. It just seems kind of sketchy and gross to do that. But for some reason, I couldn’t help myself from doing that exact thing. She just looked so cute but so hot at the same time. Like I wanted to make out with her but also cuddle at the same time. And then she asked me to sign her phone case and take a picture and I saw it as the perfect chance. 

Ever since then we’ve been talking. We text all day everyday and try to talk on the phone at least twice a week. I’ve only met Emily Sonnett once and known her for a little over a month but I already know she’s different from anyone else I’ve ever known before. She’s so funny and unafraid to do whatever she wants. I mean who else would show up to a game in a sports bra with two different numbers painted on their body and then go to meet the players. I’m distracted from my thoughts by my phone buzzing with a new text.

Emily Sonnett:  
Is it bad if I fall asleep in class? Asking for a friend,,, who may or may not be me.

I laugh to myself as I read the text. She stays up doing homework too late then gets up early to go for a run. I try to tell her she needs to sleep more but she won’t listen to me.

Kelley O’Hara:  
Hmmm, it probably would not be a good idea to sleep through every class you go to. 

She responds almost instantly.

Emily Sonnett:  
But isn’t that how osmosis works? That’s how I learn best!

Kelley O’Hara:  
Well, when you put it that way it does make sense. But I’d still suggest not sleeping in class anyway.

Emily Sonnett:  
Ugh fine! You win, but I have to go to class now. I’ll talk to you later tonight Kell?

Kelley O’Hara:  
I always win! And of course I’ll talk to you later, have a good class.

While she’s in class I decide to get some work done. I check my email to see a complete list of who is coming to the next camp. I see that there are some new call ups and look at them. What I see shocks me. There is the name Emily Sonnett. I knew she played for UVA but I didn’t realize how good she was. Immediately I switch to a new tab and look up her stats and try to find videos of her playing. I’m amazed by what I find, her stats are great and the few videos I can find showcase her skills. I feel a flood of pride rush through me. That’s my girl! I mean she’s not really my girl, yet at least. I’m almost surprised it has taken her this long to be called up. I can’t wait to play with her.

Oh shit! This means I’ll be seeing her again soon. But as excited as I am about that, it is going to be at camp. Where no one knows we have been talking. Oh god, how am I supposed to act around her? Do I pretend to not know her? No I don’t think I’d ever be able to act like she means nothing to me. I’ll have to talk to Em and see what she thinks. I’m sure she’s nervous about being called up anyway, I don’t want to add to that by not knowing how to act around her.

I need to talk to her tonight. It’s 4:32 so she’s still in class right now and then has night practice after that so it’ll have to be later but I have to call her. I’m too excited about being able to play with her and just be in the same place as her. At the same time, I want to see what she’s thinking about everything right now. How excited she is to get called up and truly recognized for all the time and effort she puts in. What nerves she is feeling about meeting everyone and playing with people she’s looked up to. I just want to be there for her with everything she’s experiencing right now.

To try to pass the time until she is done with everything for the night and can talk I go for a run. It also helps me get out the extra energy I got when I saw Emily’s name on the list of players. Even before I realized what it meant, just seeing her name made me excited. I’ve got it so bad for her and I barely know her. I only know what she’s told me about herself. I don’t know what she looks like when she first wakes up in the morning, I don’t know how she likes her coffee, I don’t know if she tucks her pens behind her ear when she’s in class and should be taking notes. I feel like she talks with her hands but I don’t know for sure. I don’t know if she snores at night when she sleeps or is she curls up in her covers like the cutest little burrito. I don’t know any of that, but I want to know so badly. She has me spellbound in such a short amount of time. I didn’t expect this when I gave her my number. I don’t know what I thought was going to happen but I know I didn’t think I’d feel for her the way I do. I’ve never felt this way before and I’m not really scared by it. It just makes me really excited because Emily makes me feel safe enough that I don’t have to worry about it.

Kelley O’Hara:  
Hey I miss you! Hope practice goes well and we can talk soon <3

I don’t even care that I’m double texting, hell I’ll text her six times in a row and not care. I’ve done it before and she does the same to me. It’s comforting to me that she wants to talk to me as much as I want to talk to her. It’s part of what makes me feel so safe when thinking about being with her long term. 

Emily Sonnett:  
Aw, I missed you too! I just got out of practice and I’m walking home. I’ll call you when I get back so we can talk about everything, I’m sure you’ve seen by now.

I don’t bother replying to this because I know she’s going to call me in a few minutes anyway. Instead I take the time to gather my thoughts on what I want to say. I want to let her take the lead on the conversation. This is a lot for her and it’s happening suddenly, she has to be feeling some way about that. And as much as I want to know how she wants to play our budding relationship in front of everyone, I don’t want to make this conversation about me or us and take away from her. I remember how overwhelming it all felt when this was happening to me. I wish I had someone back then to talk to who could let me know what to expect and just help me calm down and not get ahead of myself. I’m pulled away from my thoughts by my phone again, but this time it is a call.

“Hey Em! How are you?”

“I’m doing pretty good. Really just kind of anxious though. I know you probably already saw that I got called up for the next camp.” 

“I know! I’m so excited to have you there! I didn’t know you were that good! Whenever we talk you always downplay your abilities.” She nervous laughs at that.

“But Kelley, that’s because I’m really not that good. Everyone on my team is always saying that I’m good enough but I really don’t feel as if I am and now I’m going to be possibly be playing nationally? I can’t handle that. I’m not good enough. Calling me up was a big mistake and I know after one practice it’s going to be so obvious that I don’t belong.” Wow, I did not expect any of that. I expected nerves about it and excitement but not that. I take a second to think of what to say back to her.

“That’s the thing though, your image of yourself is so skewed! You don’t realize how great of a player you are. Calling you up was not a mistake and I promise you, after one practice you are going to prove to everyone and yourself why you are there. Why you deserve to be there. I’m so excited to see you there and watch you experience it all for the first time. I know that this is only going to be the first of many because you are a great defender and the world deserves to see you play.” She sniffs and clears her throat, when she talks next I can hear the tears in her voice.

“God Kell, you don’t know what that means to me. Not only because I really like you, but because of who you are as a player. Obviously I was a big fan of you before we met and to hear someone I’ve admired for so long say that, it really does help me. I’m not really at the point where I agree with everything you said but it does help. I appreciate you so much and I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Good, I’m glad it helped. Yeah I have a question about camp, what do you want to do about us? If you want to hide it so that you can just focus on camp and playing well, that’s fine with me. If you want to let everyone know that there is something going on then that’s also fine with me. I just want to do whatever you are comfortable with.”

“I think I would rather keep things more quiet between us and be able to really work on making sure I play the best I can and just be focused on camp. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out with you there of course, you won’t be able to stop me from that. I just don’t think that everyone needs to know anything really about us yet.” I smile to myself.

“That sounds perfect to me. I want you to be able to focus too, but I also really want to be able to hang out with you as well. As much as possible. Is it weird that I miss you? I know we only met in person once and it was for like two seconds, but I do miss you.”

“If it is weird, then I’m weird too because trust me, I miss you too.”

“Well I already knew that you were weird, but I’m glad to hear it.”

“Oh be quiet! Hey I hate to cut this short but I really have a lot of work I should get done. I’ll talk to you soon yeah?”

“Ok Em, I’ll talk to you soon. But just know, if you ever start to doubt yourself like that again, just talk to me. I’ll always be here to help you see yourself clearly.”

“Alright, I will let you know if I ever do. Bye Kell.”

“Bye Sonnett.” 

I hate not being able to talk to her for long, but at the same time I don’t think any amount of time would ever be long enough for me. I just can’t wait to see her in person soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I really don't know how to keep a constant tense. I kept switching back and forth and this is probably bad but oh well. I'm not sure how or when this turned into like almost 2000 words of just Kelley pining over Sonnett but that's just what happened oops. Sorry the ending was so rushed, once again, but much like Sonnett in this story, I have lots of work that I should really be doing right now instead of this. Let me know what you think, what you liked or disliked, or if you would like to see anything in particular.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long break I'm back with another update filled with run on sentences, an abrupt ending, and, of course, too many exclamation points! Hope you like it!

Emily P.O.V.

“So Sonnett are you nervous to see her?” I turn to my friend incredulously.

“Of course I’m nervous, who wouldn’t be? This is huge! First impressions are everything and I’m going to make a fool of myself. I mean she’s so incredible you know how much I idolize her! How could I not be nervous let alone petrified?” She looks confused.

“What do you mean by first impressions? You have very much so met Kelley before, not to mention you talk to her literally everyday. If she didn’t like you she definitely wouldn’t be doing all that.” She stops talking when I laugh in her face.

“You mean Kelley? Why would I be nervous to see her? She’s probably the only thing keeping me calm right now. I don’t know how serious she is about this thing between us but, I do know that we’ve built a pretty great friendship that I wouldn’t jeopardize for anything. It probably sounds crazy for me to say this when I’ve known her for such a short time but, I feel like she’s supposed to be in my life for some reason, even if it’s just as a friend and nothing more. I mean that would really suck but she’s been such a great support to me during this whole process and helping me feel like I’m worthy of being there, but whatever she wants with me I’m happy with. It’s up to her.” 

“Ok that's cute and all, however that leaves me with a question still. Who did you think I originally was talking about?” I turn to her.

“Obviously I was talking about Becky! I mean can you believe I get to not only meet her but also play with her? This is like my biggest dream come true!” She shakes her head at me as she pulls the car over, having been nice enough to drop me off at the airport for my first camp.

“You know what? I can’t even be surprised with you at this point. Now it is time for you to leave and go become a big hot shot star. But really Son, go kick ass and prove to everyone, including yourself, why you’re there.” After thanking her I grab my bag and go into the airport. I wait in long lines for way too long before I can actually go find my terminal but it’s helpful in calming down my nerves. I text Kelley until I get on the plane, only one short ride until I can see her in person again. I can’t wait.

Kelley P.O.V.

I’m trying so hard to not show my excitement at knowing I’ll see Emily soon, but it’s almost impossible. I already have half the team on my back, trying to figure out who I’ve been texting so much. Especially after I couldn’t help it and told Alex I was sort of talking to someone I was really interested in. She had too big of a mouth to keep it to herself and told everyone as soon as we got to camp. Now I’m just waiting for Em to walk in, we’ve been texting so I know she will be here soon. It is going to be hard to not jump on her as soon as she walks in the room, but I have to follow her lead and see how she wants to play this. I know she’s worried about this camp and making sure she’s focused and does well. 

“Hey Kell, tell us something about your girl. Just one thing and I promise we will back off a little bit! We are just surprised that someone caught your attention. It’s been a while since you last even talked to someone.” As I go to respond to Alex, Emily walks in the room. Instantly I lose all train of thought, she just looks too cute in person I can’t stop myself from just staring at her. She’s already looking right at me with a soft smile on her face. Suddenly a hand is in front of my face.

“Hello, Earth to Kelley! Are you going to tell us something or are you just going to continue staring off into space with a stupid look on your face? Just one thing real quick before we have to pay attention to this meeting.” Looking away from Emily, who is walking toward me, I answer Alex to get her to leave me alone.

“Ok fine! If you will leave me be and not bring this up again then I’ll tell you one thing. Um, she’s a really good person, always trying to make other people happy in any way that she can. She just brings joy with her everywhere she goes and I really like that.” Emily’s ears turned a little red as she heard what Alex said to me before I answered.

“Wow, ok. So this is pretty serious to you then? I’m happy for you Kell, you deserve someone good in your life. However, I do want to meet her if this goes anywhere more than just talking.” I nod my head and check my phone as I feel it vibrate in my pocket. 

Emily Sonnett:  
Hey, can we meet up after this talk, privately. I think we should really talk before actual camp stuff starts up.

My throat feels dry and I get nervous, maybe she was scared off by what she heard me say about her. With shaking hands I send back a thumbs up, then put my phone back in my pocket. Now I have to try to pay attention to this meeting instead of worry about what Emily wants to talk about.

Emily P.O.V.

I’m so excited to be in the same room as Kelley that I couldn’t help but try and sit as close to her as I could get. Sadly I was one of the last to arrive so there wasn’t anything too close to her. I was close enough to hear her say what she did to Alex though. I need to see her as soon as I can so I can properly say hi and talk to her about how much she means to me. I’m almost too focused on that to really pay attention, but since this is my first time I’m able to focus enough to hear everything that’s said. When the meeting ends I get up and start walking when I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders.

“Hey Emily, I’m going to steal you away for a little to have a little chat, defender to defender.” Kelley winks at me as she says this and I smile back at her instantly. Almost instinctively following her lead.

“Of course Miss Kelley, lead the way.” She steers me down the hallway and into a different conference room that’s empty and away from the rest of the team. As soon as we close the door behind us, her arms are fully around me. I quickly wrap her up in my arms as well.

“Man is it good to see you, feel you, and just be able to be here with you in person for once. I mean don’t get me wrong I love talking to you on the phone but I really missed you. Now please let me know what you wanted to talk about because I’ve been trying to keep myself from worrying that it's something bad for the better part of an hour.” We take a step back from each other, but are still close.

“Oh my god I’m sorry I didn’t mean to worry you or anything! I just heard what you said to Alex, and I hope it was about me, and I just really wanted to say that I really like you and I know I said I wanted to wait and see how this camp went but I really just need you to know how much you mean to me.” She doesn’t say anything for a little while, just looks at me before smiling.

“Well first of all, I was definitely talking about you, there’s no one else I’d even want to talk about then you. Secondly I’m really glad you feel that way, because I have a great feeling about us, and of course we will still go at your pace and do only what you feel comfortable with, like letting people know and keeping quiet at camp for now. But I really want to be with you, if that’s what you want as well.” 

“Of course that’s what I want. You are all I can ever think about, I just needed to make sure I knew how you felt before I asked for anything more. I have a really good feeling about us too.” I pull her into another hug as I smile, excited for everything that’s happening in my life right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow life has definitely been crazy lately, what with corona in general then tornadoes and snow within like 3 days of each other. Good news though, I finally got migraine medicine so no more ocular migraines! That's partially why this took so long to update but also just school and life in general. I changed this from 4 chapters to 3 because while this was fun to write and I enjoyed it, I'm definitely better at reading then writing. Trying to get better at not trash talking myself, just genuinely don't love this chapter, but felt like I needed to finish it. Did not really do more then skim this for errors and wrote it all in like one sitting so there's probably mistakes but it is what it is. All that said though, I really hope you liked this, let me know your thoughts on it!

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of hurt me to say "rally towel" over "Terrible Towel" but I didn't know how many people would know what that was. Hope you liked this more then I did. Let me know what you thought. Also, this was definitely not edited so please for give any and all mistakes as I'm lazy and should be studying instead of doing this anyway.


End file.
